Man United show there are more than two horses in title race

Every week, our own Luis Miguel Echegaray offers his latest thoughts from the world of football. You have the analysis; now comes LME’s commentary.

Welcome to The Tap-In.

This week, I thought a lot about the meaning of greatness. Well, if we want to be specific: the pressures of reaching greatness and the inevitable consequences once the light begins to fade. The pursuit of greatness — and beyond that, the battle to remain great — is a journey that requires discipline, an admittance of humility and, in the words of Winston Churchill, the ultimate price of responsibility.

This to me, is the most important virtue. There is no path to greatness without accepting what comes alongside its expectations.

Take a look at LeBron James, for example, the seemingly omnipotent 38-year-old NBA superstar who further cemented his name in the history books by becoming the league’s all-time scorer earlier this week. It was a remarkable achievement by an athlete who often defies belief when it comes to what the human body is capable of… and almost makes me wonder if he’s going through some type of Benjamin Button-esque transformation. But aside from the physical prowess and the 38,390 points James accumulated to pass the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron’s successes are also part of his responsibility to be great.

Greatness doesn’t mean perfection, but it does mean mental and physical consistency. James has known this since he was in high school when the world was already tipping him for greatness without stepping one foot in a college basketball court, never mind an NBA one. My great, late friend Grant Wahl wrote about it more than 20 years ago and it became one of the most iconic magazine covers in American sports. The responsibility of greatness started when James was a child, and it never stopped.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Then there’s Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion and arguably the greatest quarterback ever to play the game, who…